Letterman Tonight: Says His Wife is "Horribly Hurt"

If you're following the alleged extortion of David Letterman by CBS producer Joe Halderman, tune in to his show tonight. He tells the audience his wife is "horribly hurt," it's not going to be easy to patch things up, but he's going to give it his best shot. He also apologized to his staff.

"She has been horribly hurt by my behavior, and when something happens like that, if you hurt a person and it's your responsibility, you try to fix it," Letterman told audiences, according to a statement from his company, Worldwide Pants.

"And at that point, there's only two things that can happen: either you're going to make some progress and get it fixed, or you're going to fall short and perhaps not get it fixed, so let me tell you folks, I got my work cut out for me."

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He said he was "terribly sorry that I put the staff in that position. Inadvertently, I just wasn't thinking ahead ... my thanks to the staff for, once again, putting up with something stupid I've gotten myself involved in."

So, why is Letterman telling us this? Unlike the criminal case against Joe Halderman, this is just private stuff. Is he looking for sympathy or just being honest? Or, is he still trying to control the message, as Halderman's lawyer Gerry Shargel said today on TV?

Update: Watching Letterman now.

* He may be the first talkshow host to be impeached
* It's chilly outside, chillier inside his house
* He spent the weekend raking his hate mail
* Usually when he's held up for money, it's by a relative
* An insider reference to Rubenstein Communications (damage consultants for stars)
* Bill Clinton, Mark Sanford, Elliot Spitzer...followed by silence

His apology to the staff is for subjecting them to media hounding since his announcement Thursday. That's what he didn't think ahead to. He thanks them for putting up with it.

He says you can't be victimized by criminals. He says he's a victim of blackmail and he had to fight back and he still thinks he did the right thing. He ends the segment with apologizing again to the former Governor of Alaska (to lighten the moment?)

I find him credible and thought the segments were well done. But he needs to leave it alone after this or else he risks polluting the pool of potential jurors. I wonder where the case would be tried if a change of venue were granted. Shargel must be considering one. Buffalo? Albany? They get TV there too.

Also, it would be ironic if Shargel, who is known to be excellent at cross-examination, and who said he's looking forward to getting a shot at Letterman on the stand, does in fact impeach him. And will he be introducing clips from these shows in an attempt to show the jury Letterman smirked and joked about the alleged offense?

once was on his staff and with whom he had a child six years before he finally agreed to marry her. Where was the outrage about his relationship with her? I am amazed at the obsession with this story. People really are shocked that there's been gambling in this establishment.

BTW, since when has the entertainment industry been the bastion of morality? With the exception of Pat Boone, there are few moral paragons in the entertainment world.

Why on earth would there be outrage about it? Better she should have left the company when the relationship got serious, but it's hardly unheard-of in show biz.

And I don't know who's outraged about this, either. There's certainly some tut-tutting, including by moi, about the apparent habit of getting into a series of sexual relationships with, again apparently, mostly much younger staffers, but I'm having a hard time finding any outrage here or anywhere else.

Anyway, CNN has been going on and on and on about this story like it is "news" or something. People are acting like this is the first we've heard of Letterman sleeping with a female staff member. I just think it is pretty funny given the fact that he already revealed quite publicly a relationship with at least one of them years ago.

Weinstien "so called crime". I guess Hollywood's compassion doesn't extend to minors. What was his point in bringing up fundraisers for 9/11 and Katrina victims. Does he think that only Hollywood felt for those who lost so much. Those in Hollywood truly live in their own universe.

he has continued that practice since they decided to marry? We don't know the details of the deal between him and his wife. In any case, I thought he was probably sleeping with the other girl back in the 90s. Don't really know why - and didn't care much - just figured that was what was going on...

I thought he was probably sleeping with the other girl back in the 90s. Don't really know why - and didn't care much - just figured that was what was going on

Why would you have such thoughts if you didn't care?

Birkitt is 34 now. Was what, 21, back in 1996 when the affair started? Letterman was 49 in 1996. She was a college student who was interning at CBS. He paid for her law school, which she started in 2005. His wife may have been on board with all this. You're right, we don't know. But, thanks to a meddling media, we're probably going to find out.

care that much about on a daily basis. That's what happens when you tend to think more often than not. Some stuff is interesting and other stuff is fleeting and not necessarily all that interesting to me or anyone else.

pretty regularly. I was up to date on all the high and low profile relationships for a time there. It was a great mindless distraction from real life. Everyone has their own ways of escaping their own lives from time to time.

I also have always liked older men and dated a few in my life time. Not sure why you think that is such a terrible thing. What's the cut off in your mind? Five, ten, fifteen years? What? Does it matter to you what she wanted? Or what I or anyone else wants? When exactly do you think women become adult enough to make their own decisions about relationships? Personally, I've always found these kinds of discussions about "girls" dating older men to be pretty offensive. I had a lot to learn at 21, but I was of age and had every right to make my own decisions about the people with whom I would spend my time. Some of my friends were even married before they were in their twenties - they're all still married - one to a guy ten years older than she was. They're doing better than a lot of the "experienced" people who waited until later... So... I don't really get or appreciate all this moralizing about age etc. You sound as if she was like seven and he was an adult. She was an adult - of age - and had every right to be self determined in her situation. And don't insult her by suggesting that she was some sort of idiot - unless you know that to be true of her - if she went to law school though and made it through, my guess is that she isn't an idiot.

get the on air job. That's why I thought about their personal relationship. You don't end up on air on a show like that one without being close to the star. It is just how it works in that world. I thought that either she was his protege or his girlfriend - or both. That was all. That's why I thought about it and why I remember thinking that now - because this revelation sort of answers my question.

"He didn't think ahead to see that sleeping with a staffer could be problematic for other staffers."

He's saying he didn't think ahead to see how it would affect his wife and potentially bring the show negative publicity. There's no indication it was problematic for other staffers or that it was an issue. Has anyone said they were denied a promotion or a pay raise because of his actions?

Not every office romance, even with a superior, is wrong, either for the participants or others.

Can't remember if it was this week or last when I saw yet another ZOMG! He cheated on Her! tabloid headline. (Bradgelina? Another couple? Can't keep track.) I have to wonder if some celebrities cut out the middlemen and simply feed stories directly to the tabloids themselves.

I think Letterman is playing this well so far. The guy trying to do him dirty got caught, Letterman gets free publicity and increased ratings and people are suddenly thinking "If Letterman can score, I should be able to.".

...cheat as men, well, the gender-based indignation is a bit much too take. Human sexuality is a very complicated thing. And that IS what we are talking about here, human sexuality, not rape, not harassment, just humans and their base and deeply natural desires. If it weren't for sex and the sex drive, not a one of us would be here.

And, as the product of an inappropriate affair (visiting college professor has affair with student), it's pretty hard for me to make any judgements besides, well, that is life, that is people, and both are difficult propositions.

According to the infidelity stats men cheat more often but the number of women who have started cheating has grown exponentially since we have entered the workforce. Apparently, the female position is if guys can do it so can we. Additionally, I'd imagine being financially independant means females are less worried about the repercussions of cheating.

co-workers is secondary to the partnership at work. Working together to reach the same goals, open communication, supporting one another, recognition for achievements....all things that every marriage would want, and some just don't have.

but it is not a corporate culture. Production in the arts is a totally different culture and system. The hours are long and people often literally live together. A lot of people have affairs, get married and otherwise hook up in our industry. I've seen a number of marriages between outsiders and production folks break up mostly because they never get to see each other. Sometimes it involves someone the production person is working with, but sometimes not. I've known tons of folks who've told me that they married inside the world because their significant other actually understood the rhythm of our work. It is what it is and it is a unique world. You can't apply the rules of vanilla corporate America to this world. It just doesn't work that way. I've never really met anyone in all these years on a show that I've been interested in - but I have some really close great friends - the kinds of friendships that you rarely develop in normal corporate environments. My A team is like family to me - not to mention outrageously funny and irreverent. Just the way I like my work environments.

Hours are long in many more areas besides the arts. The average work week is something like 60 hours. Nurses work 12 hour shift, truckers and salesmen are gone for days,military members for months. I daresay the artsy folk have the market cornered on a challenging schedule. The world they are in isn't that darn unique and neither is the excuse making that is coming from them on why making a marriage work is difficult.

driving with each other in packs of 50-60 - in the same truck and everything. It is a different culture - that's all - and none of the folks I've known who have gotten divorced were happy about their splits - you make it sound like they were all casual about it - they weren't - sometimes relationships just don't work out and being apart to much is high among the list of problems that many couples face - see our military divorce statistics as a good example of how that issue can take a toll on a relationship. The only thing that ever threatened my parents' 45 year marriage was a year that they had to spend apart because of work.

is the culture isn't that different. Of course, long periods of separation are going to make relationships difficult but those periods are not limited solely to the arts community and I don't think they should be allowed to use their overly long hours to make excuses. There are many fields which require long separations. I just listed two. I could have listed more. My husband is presently traveling to Bluefield, Wva and will be gone until Wednesday. He works for the railroad. His job requires travel for days(and prior to that we were military which often meant month long separations.) Keeping that in mind, I don't think that gives me carte blanche to give anything less than my full commitment to our relationship. Then again, I went into the relationship recognizing that it meant work and that it wasn't going to always be easy balancing act and that I would need to work to avoid temptation(since I believe it is perfectly natural to be attracted to members of the opposite sex.)

Now I realize that when Dave cheated he wasn't "married" per se but I think it is absurd to think it wouldn't be understandable for someone who had a relationship for years, rather than months might have the expectation of fidelity. His statements re: her "coldness" reinforce that perception.

were very happy campers. We used to hang at the same watering/feed station after work. Our crew was always grumbling, them, not. My team (lordy I hate that term!) def noticed. And it's a top down kinda thing we're talkin'.

I think one thing people need to understand, is the difference in workplace environs. Creative environs are a tad dif than corp etc. I can see myself believing he didn't see how it could be problematic to other staffers depending on his prior work environ history. Not excusing anything, but just sayin' :) Now his home life is another story, and not my biz.

two commenters do want Letterman's wife to leave him. Or sher and Dark Avenger are against long-term relationships, perhaps? One never knows when they only do drive-by low ratings but do not explain, of course.

who said these affairs were before he got married (therefore I assumed he meant it really doesn't matter). Since his legal marriage was so new I brought up that point. I agree with Cream City that a 20 year committed relationship producing a child should have as much value as the state license. Maybe I misunderstood cpinva.

... doesn't really suit Dave, who's never talked much about his personal life, anymore than it would have suited Johnny Carson. At any rate, it's his business. I've yet to hear any serious allegation that this rises to the level of sexual harassment, and if it doesn't, it's just between him and his wife.

I think it would be like pouring salt in a wound to have him on national TV continuing to provide a window into my marriage and relationship; I just cannot imagine that her hurt will be assuaged by Letterman's ongoing public commentary. Nor can I imagine that it helps the whole forgiveness thing to have him using his actions to make fun of himself - to me, it trivializes it, which, in my opinion, further demeans his wife.

I don't know David Letterman, but his behavior puts him in the category of being just one more can't-keep-his-pants-zipped, thinks-with-the-little-head man who thinks the women in the workplace are fair game for his "needs." Ugh. No wonder he was single for so long.

All I can say is, "good luck, Regina!" You knew what he was when you started the relationship, and whether a child and a marriage have changed him, well, only the two of you really know.

What impact would any of his previous behavior have on any pre-nup signed when they got married (I don't even know if this is applicable but I can't imagine he got married without one). If he had these relationships after they were together can you argue fraud?

they were together 20+ years before getting married and had a child together and owned their Montana ranch together. And even without a prenup, he's got enough money for all of them. Link

Letterman, 61, announced he and Regina Lasko, with whom he has a five-year old son, were wed in a courthouse ceremony in Choteau in Teton County, Montana last week, near the ranch they own together.

"They say, 'Well, why did it take you so long to get married?' and, of course, the answer honestly is we wanted to make sure we had the prenup just right," Letterman joked.

Letterman and Lasko began their relationship in 1986. Their son, Harry, was present for the ceremony. The late night talk show host previously swore off marriage after his 1977 divorce with Michelle Cook.

are both on the show. They are both wearing loud striped socks with very proper suits. And they both look like they had facelifts. They are talking about having their colonoscopies together, I wonder if they used the same surgeon.